Talking-machine



J. F. SMlTH.

TALKING MACHINE.

APPLICATiON FILED JUNE 22. 1916.

Patented Feb. 10,1920.

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JAMES F. SMITH, OF ST. LC'UIS, MIS'SOL ITTNER AND ONE-TEIIRD T6 rarnnr JESIGNGR ONE-T1911 3?) T2) ANTI-TONY F.

at BRADLEY, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

TALKTETG-ETACHITIE.

Application filed Eune 22,

1 b all ac/ 1 one it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES F. SMITH, a.

citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Talking-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to sounding boards and sounding boxes for musical instruments, both mechanical and ordinary. The invention relates particularly to the sound box construction of talking machines and is applicable to machines using records having either vertical or lateral undulation.

The invention 1s also applicable to the reproduction of sound transmitted electrically, as in telephony and wireless telegraphy.

The objects of the invention are the elimination of incidental noises and the improvement of the tone qualities and volume of sound reproduced. Further objects are to provide for the adjustment of the pitch and the loudness of the tone.

The invention consists in a thin vibrating diaphragm which is stretched across the sound box, and which can be adjusted as to tension. The invention also consists in the details of construction of the sound box as hereinafter described.

Further objects and details of the invention appear in connection with the description of the embodiments of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings; and what the invention consists in is more particularly defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein the same reference characters designate the same parts in the several views,

Figure 1 is a face view of a sound box embodying one form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line 33 in Fig. 1, showing the mounting for the stylus lever;

Fig. 4 is a central horizontal cross-section through the tone arm and sound box taken on the line 4.4 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a back view of the sound box, showing a portion of the tone arm;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion of Fig. 4, showing in detail the construction of the diaphragm and its mounting in the sound box.

Referring to the drawings, particularly Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, the tone arm 10 car- Speciiication of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 10, 1920.

1918. Serial no. 125,141.

ries at its outer extremity a sound box 11, which is provided with a diaphragm 12. The sound box is connected to the tone arm by means of an elbow 13, one branch of which is secured in the end of the tone arm and in the other branch of which there is a rotatable hollow stem 14 which carries the sound box. The stem 15 of the sound box is inserted in the hollow stem 1 1 which carries the sound box. The stem 15 of the sound box is inserted in the hollow stem 14 and retained therein by friction, a paper bushing or gasket being inserted between the two. The hollow stem is secured in the elbow by means of a screw 16, which can be adjusted to permit rotation of the hollow stem and sound box and to permit removal of the sound box. The hollow stem has an opening 17 in its side near its inner end to provide communication between the sound box and the tone horn in all positions of adjustment. A stop 18 on the stem 14 for the sound box engages with the stop 19 on the elbow 13 to position the sound box and needle at a suitable inclination to the record.

The diaphragm 12 is stretched over a flanged ring 20 which is insulated from the sound box 11 by a paper gasket 21. The edge of the diaphragm is rolled around a wire ring 22 which loosely surrounds the ring 20 and the ring 22 and edge of the dia phragm are clamped on to the ring 20 by a clamping ring 23 which is adjustably secured to the sound box 11 by screw 2%. A

.ring 25 is arranged within. the clamping ring 23 and between it and the ring 22 and edge of the diaphragm; and the rings 25 and 22 and diaphragm are insulated from the clamping ring 23 by means of a paper gasket 26. This arrangement permits the tension of the diaphragm to be adjusted to produce the tone desired. and arrests vibrations in the metal of the sound box and keeps them from producing discordant noises in the diaphragm.

The lever arm 27 in the device shown in Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, is soldered to the outer side of the diaphragm at its middle. and its free end is turned down and provided with a socket 28 for the stylus 29. The stem of the stylus may be secured in the socket by a knurled screw 30 or any suitable securing means. The stylus shown in the drawings has an agate point 31; but

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